


Laundry

by cantthinkanuffin



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:54:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21900532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cantthinkanuffin/pseuds/cantthinkanuffin
Summary: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE RISE OF SKYWALKER.One of my takes on THAT scene - sorry, this one isn't the HEA. See a/n for more.I don't own the characters; only the words on the virtual page are mine.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 10
Kudos: 48





	Laundry

Darkness settles upon my soul  
in the place you used to reside.  
For although we only felt happiness  
\- or was it something else -  
for the briefest of moments,  
when the spark of you faded  
the light within me died.

===========

The power flowed through her – power of a thousand generations of Jedi. She knew she would need it all, every scrap, to stop the return of the Sith and the horror her grandfather wished to bestow upon the galaxy. Her arm quaked from holding the lightsaber in position; deflecting the lightning from herself. She needed to act.

She could no longer feel the presence she had recognised immediately on its arrival on Exogol as the man she'd become bonded with, though the bond said he lived. She did feel the lightsaber he'd last held nearby, and focused on the idea of its presence in her free hand.

Suddenly it was there, ignited and paired with its twin, and she felt the power in the room shift. The upper hand became hers.

Lightning returned whence it came, and she stared as her grandfather disintegrated under the strength of his own attack. In seconds, he was gone.

Rey deactivated the sabers, slowly looking around herself before she felt them slide from her grip, faintly hearing their metallic bounce before all sensation ceased and her lifeless form dropped to the floor.

=====

Ben's hand groped blindly at the edge of the cliff, seeking firm purchase before hauling himself slowly over the edge and painfully regaining his feet.

He forced his way forward, feeling the tether of his bond with Rey becoming thinner and thinner as he neared her still form.

His leg collapsed beneath him, but he knew that he could no more give up on her than the sun could fail to rise. He struggled on, reaching her where she lay in a few lurching steps, and dropping to the floor beside her.

He rolled her as gently as he could onto his arm, lifting her from the floor. Her head tipped back, lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling, and he drew her into an embrace, cradling her against himself for a few precious moments. His eyes glistened with unshed tears.

He released a sigh and shifted them both so she lay across his lap. The pain – no longer his friend – was excruciating, and he exhaled again to focus himself as he settled them.

With a final look at her, he placed his hand against her sternum and closed his eyes. He remembered the things he loved about her and slowly his life force flowed into her.

Her hand moved to cover his. She took a breath. “Ben?” She asked as she smiled at him.

He had never seen a more beautiful sight. Her smile was dazzling despite the dimness, and he couldn't speak. He inclined his head, just a little. 

Her hand reached to his face and she pulled herself up, using him for leverage. Suddenly her lips were on his, and it was so much more than he could have imagined. One hand held the nape of her neck, the other her back, and he lost himself in the sensation that was kissing Rey. 

As the kiss ended, tears again threatened to spill from his eyes. He noticed that hers were glassy, as well, and smiled. His first smile in years. He truly loved her. He felt the love returned, felt her joy at seeing his smile, felt his body slide away from her embrace, then nothing.

=====

Rey looked on in horror as Ben slumped to the floor. She felt the tether between them thin and vanish.

“No,” she managed as his form faded away and his clothes collapsed as if he had never even been there.

She placed her hand on his empty sleeve, and lay her body down so her torso was atop where his had fallen.

=====

“Hey, guys, I found something.” Finn's lamp shone down on a pile of cloth he had hoped not to find. He waited as Poe and Rose joined him, scrutinising the pile carefully. Fading Force signatures clung to the fabric.

“Whaddaya think happened?” Poe asked, shining his own lamp on the pile, and making as if to pick it up.

Finn stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “No, don't move it,” he spoke quietly, shaking his head.

Rose and Poe both eyed him, confusion painting their features. Finn continued, “Rey and Ren – but not Ren, I can't really explain,” Finn paused, shaking his head again.

“What, did they kill each other? Where'd the bodies go?” Poe was beginning to get angry. The whims of the Force annoyed him, and it was frustrating.

Finn tilted his head, eyes still on the pile of clothes. “No. They...they saved each other.”

Rose's gaze shifted from Finn to the clothing. “We fight to save the ones we love.”

**Author's Note:**

> Not posted anything but comments before on AO3 - posted a couple stories to ff.net using the same handle many years ago, if you're interested.
> 
> Saw TROS twice on opening day (which was 19 Dec, where I am). This poem and tale are the result of one of the tours my head took during an afternoon walk the next day, while I was processing my emotions and looking for an ending that made sense to me.
> 
> The title is meant to be both literal and symbolic.
> 
> And I'll do my best to post something more upbeat in the near future. I have a couple multi-chapter Reylo WIPs on my laptop, but I know what I'm like, so don't post until I'm satisfied that I can actually complete them.


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